Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 227

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 49. Isn’t This More Comfortable?

Yet Kale grasped at his last hope, turning his gaze toward the stone pillar.
The massive stone pillar, and the blood-red magical circle carved into the ground around it. Chains crumbling to dust.

“…Chains, you say?”

I looked back at Erhafen, and he smiled.

“No, the stone pillar.”

Have I ever seen such a reckless ancient dragon?

“Yes, Gold Dragon! Let’s destroy it all!”

Do dragons simply enjoy destroying everything?
I watched Raon fluttering his wings, the Crazy Priestess Kage with keen interest, Sword Master Hana clenching and unclenching her fists as if her hands were itching, and Saint Jack contemplating alone among them, before I sighed and opened my mouth.

I’m the only sane one here.

“Lord Erhafen, what if monsters come pouring through from the other side?”

The Dark Forest, teeming with mutated monsters.
Tracing back to the source, the reason was the Eastern Continent monsters that had crossed over to the Western Continent through this passage.

Jjangdol had built a mansion in this underground cavern and erected stone pillars to seal the passage. So if the seal were destroyed and monsters came flooding through—

‘My house would be destroyed.’

That was why I couldn’t help but be serious.

“Kale Heniatus.”

Erhafen’s expression grew stern. He pointed to himself with his finger.

“I am a dragon.”

The being who created this seal was ultimately human. Even by Erhafen’s standards, it was a somewhat unusual and considerably powerful seal, but ultimately human power.

“I can just set up another seal. What’s so difficult about that?”

I watched the platinum-haired Ancient Dragon, who appeared relaxed and amused, in silence. Raon quietly approached.

“Human, I’ll be able to do it soon too. Watching the Gold Dragon do it this time, I can do it right away! I’m incredibly good at learning!”

Saint Jack’s voice reached my ears.

“Oh Divine One, truly the Dragons are magnificent.”

I pointed to the stone pillar at the two Dragons watching me.

“Destroy it.”

Yes, let’s destroy it. Destroy everything.
I stared at the stone pillar that would soon explode and vanish. Yet the Ancient Dragon defied my expectations once more.

“Very well.”

With that brief reply, Erhafen’s hand swept lightly through the air.

Whoooosh—

Gray powder slowly rose toward the sky.
The massive stone pillar gradually crumbled from above, bit by bit, dissolving into dust and vanishing into the void. The sight of it disappearing silently, without a thunderous roar, sent a chill down my spine.

Screeeech— screeeech—

“Ugh.”

Crazy Priestess Kage covered her ears with both hands. Saint Jack’s ears were already being covered by his younger sister Hana.

Squeak squeak squeak- squeak squeak- squeak-

It came from below—from the dark crimson magic circle drawn on the ground.
Beneath it was a dark red magical circle drawn on the ground.

Strange sounds emanated from the magic circle as its form began to distort.
Strange sounds emanated from the magic circle as its form began to distort.

“The seal has shattered. It will disappear soon.”

Just as Erhafen said, the sound vanished shortly after.
The talisman and chains hung suspended in the air, and the stone pillar had crumbled into nothingness without a trace of dust remaining.

“Hmm.”

Without realizing it, I took a small step backward.
I couldn’t help it.

My body felt strange.
Suddenly, my entire body began to convulse.

-Are you trying to sacrifice yourself?
-What else do I need to consume?

The voices of Jjangdol and the Glutton Goddess echoed through my mind.

Thump. Thump. Thump.
My heart began to race. The vitality of my heart, its power suddenly surged. Simultaneously, the destructive fire and Wind’s Sound swirled around my hands and feet, beginning to build strength.

I could understand the reason.

Pat. Pat.
Erhafen’s hand and Raon’s front paw settled upon my shoulders.

“Weak human, what’s wrong with you?”
“Kid. What do you mean ‘what’s wrong’? It’s because of that passage.”

Raon’s round eyes turned toward the passage emanating purple light. A massive tunnel, like an underground cavern, had appeared in the ground.

“Is it the damp aura from there? Human, you’re too weak! Even the Saint over there is standing still!”

Tsk tsk. Erhafen separated the noisy little dragon from my shoulders and patted me reassuringly.

‘…What?’

The more he did so, the more my mind settled.
The vitality of my heart and all other forces grew quiet.

“Kale Heniatus, that passage is quite an imperfect one. It seems that imperfect beings react sensitively to it.”

The Gold Dragon’s and Kale’s eyes met.

“The ancient power of the water attribute you possess. It’s not something you’ve mastered within your body—you merely hold it, isn’t that so? That’s why it’s imperfect.”

The mana the Gold Dragon was now drawing around Kale’s body by tapping his shoulder was a force extracted purely from the water attribute.

Judging Water.
An ancient power I had yet to discover flashed through my mind. The crown I would use afterward also came to mind.

“I’m fine now.”

At my words, Erhafen lowered his hand and slowly stepped into the passage. I followed behind him. I could hear Erhafen’s voice first as he peered into the passage.

“…Hah.”

It was a sigh.

“What’s wrong-”

The moment I peered into the passage while asking, I lost my words.

“Brother, don’t look at this.”
“…Good heavens… how dreadful….”

The Fake Saint hurriedly pulled her brother Jack back, but Saint Jack’s expression, having already glimpsed inside, was grim. Even the Mad Priestess could not relax her frown as she peered within.

Inside the massive passage emanating violet light. The darkness within was illuminated by the light of the underground cavern.
The Gold Dragon’s eyes grew distant and heavy.

“There was a war here, it seems.”

Countless bones filled the passage.

Countless bones covered the walls of the vast cavern. Everything was filled with bones except for a narrow space barely wide enough for a single person to pass through.

Those bones remained uncorrupted between the violet light.

The bones varied in size. Some of the larger ones were nearly as tall as Kale himself. While I couldn’t determine what creature they had belonged to, it was clear that whatever it was had possessed a massive frame.

Yet witnessing this spectacle, the strong ones—Erhafen, Sword Master Hana, and Raon—all grasped a singular truth.

The Gold Dragon’s calm voice resonated through the passage.

“One person killed them all.”

One person.
A word that referred precisely to a single human being.

From the entrance, the passage stretched deep and vast, its end invisible. The Gold Dragon had come to understand that only one person had filled this entire corridor with white bones.

It could be no other way.
Erhafen turned his gaze toward Kale.

“You consumed this power, didn’t you?”

Kale found himself unable to respond.
I could only stare at the countless bones before me.

And at the beings that had pierced through those bones.

Massive spears.

Hundreds—no, thousands of stone spears had penetrated the bones and lodged themselves throughout the cavern like a honeycomb.

And between those countless stone spears, there existed a passage through which only a single person could pass.

A figure came to mind for Kale.

The terrifying Jjangdol.

I still knew nothing of that power.
Kale had not wished to sacrifice anything, so I had not answered Jjangdol’s question.

Yet today, I witnessed a portion of that power.

“It seems the creature itself was of ordinary human size.”

Erhaben appeared to be of average build for the Eastern Continent—an ordinary human, in other words. The passage carved between bones and stone pillars was merely a gap sized for a typical adult.

“…He seemed quite formidable. Particularly specialized in one-against-many warfare.”

Erhaben peered into the cave and voiced his bewilderment.

“But how did he get inside?”
“Indeed.”

I agreed with him.
An inexplicable sensation washed over me—something akin to intuition.

Humans cannot enter this passage.
And when I had arrived here, had not the Stone Owner explained to me about the stone pillars?

“—And humans were repelled. Elves and dwarves likewise. Only monsters could pass through.”
“—My companions and I never unraveled this passage’s mystery. We merely sealed both the eastern and western entrances to prevent stronger mutated monsters from crossing over. I guarded the western entrance.”

The Stone Owner had clearly stated that only monsters could enter the passage.
Then could the creator of these stone pillars not be Jjangdol?

‘No. It has to be Jjangdol.’

My instinct spoke to me. These stone pillars were Jjangdol’s power.

“This makes no sense whatsoever.”
“Indeed.”

I had been agreeing with Erhaben’s words all along. Indeed. There was no other way to express it. So I answered habitually.

“Then I should go in and investigate.”
“Indeed. Wait—?”

I looked at Erhaben.

“But only monsters can enter?”
“I’m a Dragon, aren’t I?”

I was left speechless.

“I can’t go!”

Raon spoke, and Erhafen answered.

“I’m the closest thing to perfection in this natural world. Kid, you haven’t even completed your first growth phase, have you?”
“…I have nothing to say to that!”

Raon declared himself speechless, and Erhafen chuckled before turning to me with a parting remark and stepping into the passage.

“Find out where it leads on the Eastern Continent.”

I caught his retreating footsteps.

“Erhafen.”
“What?”
“Set up a teleportation circle near that passage.”
“Why?”

Erhafen asked the obvious, and I answered kindly.

“I’m going.”

The Judging Water and the forces of Dark.
To uncover clues about all of it, I needed to visit the Eastern Continent as well.

The problem was that I knew nothing about the Eastern Continent.
‘The Birth of a Hero’ had mentioned it only in passing.

“Very well. Wait here.”

Erhafen descended into the passage with those words. I collapsed onto the ground carelessly. There was no need to worry since he was an Ancient Dragon, but I knew Raon was here.

“Human, I shall wait here!”
“Sure, sure.”

I sprawled out on the ground. Home was always the most comfortable place. Lying in my own yard felt like the greatest luxury. Saint Jack and Crazy Priestess Kaige came by and left baskets of food beside me.

* * *

A few days later, I encountered Erhafen, whose expression suggested he had witnessed something quite peculiar.

“Why do you have that look on your face?”

In the underground cavern, I sat on a plush sofa of unknown origin placed atop the stone floor, eating fruit.
Erhafen, who had been watching me, glanced at Raon Mir, who was patting his satisfied belly while studying an Eastern Continent language book, before uttering a single phrase.

“…It’s my fate.”

Through our conversation, I quickly grasped what lay in Erhafen’s heart as he sought his fate. Because of this, I stepped onto the teleportation circle with an exasperated expression.

Those who would accompany me to the Eastern Continent gathered at my side.

“It’s been so long since I’ve traveled!”
“This is my first time on the Eastern Continent!”
“Trust me! I, the great Raon Mir, have memorized the entire Eastern Continent language!”
“Our youngest really is clever!”

Children averaging nine years old bickered and circled around me. However, I paid them no attention and instead gazed intently at one particular figure.

Erhafen was naturally coming, but the rest of the combination I had assembled was far from satisfactory.

The Eastern Continent—a place I knew nothing about—required someone well-versed in it.
So naturally, I brought Ron and Vicross.

Ron in particular would be thoroughly knowledgeable about the Eastern Continent.

And since Choi Han was absent, I needed one person for combat strength. Erhafen was difficult to command, so I brought the Sword Master instead.

“Hana, travel safely.”
“Got it, brother. If there’s an emergency, I’ll use the video communication device right away. I’ll come kill them all immediately.”
“Ha, you certainly worry about me in quite a violent way. Why would you kill people? Don’t worry.”

Sword Master Hana’s chilling sincerity made my expression uncomfortable. In that moment, our eyes met, and Hana grinned wickedly as she spoke.

“Thanks. I’ve been itching for action lately.”

Itching for what?
I wanted to ask, but I simply kept my mouth shut. Then I signaled to Erhafen, and without another word, he activated the magic circle.

A massive magical formation that traversed the continent.
Moreover, it was a magical formation equipped with language magic to facilitate the use of the Eastern Continent’s common tongue.
Even the Gold Dragon found it quite taxing magic. The formation soon began to emit subtle fluctuations.

“Have a safe journey.”
“Safe travels!”

Receiving farewells from the Mad Priestess and Saint Jack, Kale surrendered himself to the magical formation.

“It will probably be dawn when you arrive there.”

Heeding Erhafen’s words, Kale closed his eyes as his vision blurred.
And soon after, his body materialized atop a mountain peak.

“The sun is rising.”

I could see the sun emerging before my eyes.
It was precisely between dawn and morning—that threshold moment when those eager to start their day early would be hurrying toward their workplaces.

I slowly turned around.

A massive stone pillar came into view.
Broken chains and talisman fragments lay scattered in one corner beside the pillar.

“Good grief.”

I let out a hollow laugh at the sight of the pillar. Then a voice reached me from behind.

“W-who are you?!”

I turned my head.
Down the mountain, dozens of houses clustered around the midslope, with many people moving between them.
And I could see several figures climbing toward the summit, carrying carving tools and axes.
Our gazes collided.

“What are these people doing?”

I examined the clothing of those calling out to me.
Garments made from animal hides and fur, crude arrows and fairly decent swords and axes—five people in total.

“…Sigh.”

Anyone could see at a glance that these were bandits.
This was the conviction of someone who had read fantasy novels for years and had actually seen bandits before when traveling to the Capital in the past. Erhafen’s voice reached me.

“That structure halfway up the mountain is a bandit stronghold.”

A bandit stronghold where bandits lived. A place where plundered goods accumulated.
All the beings moving between those buildings were bandits.
I understood the absurd sentiment Erhafen must have felt when searching for his fate. I glanced back slightly.

A massive stone pillar.
It was being carved.

Only partially completed, but the figure of an eccentric bandit wielding a colossal axe was vaguely visible.

Bandits who looked like small-time thugs right before my eyes.
And a bandit statue in the process of being sculpted.

The estimate was clear.
I heard the bandits’ voices directed at me.

“What are these pale, foolish-looking, old humans!”
“What kind of cowards would dare raid the mountain of the Unyielding Ruler!”

Erhafen provided supplementary explanation.

“It seems the bandit stronghold master’s alias is the Unyielding Ruler.”

I let out a sigh.
Of all names, it had to be “Unyielding.” A thoroughly tiresome name.
But this worked out well.

“Ron.”
“Yes.”
“From your instincts living on the Eastern Continent, don’t those guys seem like bandits?”
“They do appear to be, Young Master.”

I turned my head. Vicross was already pulling on white gloves. When our eyes met, he asked me calmly.

“Shall I go?”

I glanced to the side. Sword Master Hana was grinning mischievously, her scabbard rattling softly. Meanwhile, On and Hong—clearly accompanying the invisible Raon—were admiring the Eastern Continent’s mountainous landscape with utter indifference.

I turned my gaze toward the bandits.

I hadn’t provoked them, yet I had no desire to spill blood. Growing accustomed to killing was unwise, and I had no wish to harm anyone unnecessarily.

However, I lacked current intelligence about the Eastern Continent.

“Vicross, remove your gloves. Ron, Hana.”

In that case, I would simply extract what I needed.

My gaze fixed on the bandits directly ahead and the stronghold halfway up the mountain.
Good friends had come seeking me out.
I should welcome them properly.

“Let’s keep this simple—just a greeting.”

I offered the bandits a bright smile.

“Hello there, friends?”

There would be no one here I knew. I intended to leave cleanly.
So I decided to start by stripping the bandits bare.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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